Sort of sad that even a genius cartoonist who was most likely African American still used the stereotype shorthand image and dialect of the day in depicting the porter.
I remember reading microfilms of an African-American newspaper from Philadelphia and seeing a comic strip that drew its characters the same way (dating from the 20s or 30s). Despite the style and idiomatic speech, the characters there were just normal people — comical, but not because of presumed racial characteristics.
Sort of sad that even a genius cartoonist who was most likely African American still used the stereotype shorthand image and dialect of the day in depicting the porter.
I remember reading microfilms of an African-American newspaper from Philadelphia and seeing a comic strip that drew its characters the same way (dating from the 20s or 30s). Despite the style and idiomatic speech, the characters there were just normal people — comical, but not because of presumed racial characteristics.